The two giants in soft drinks, The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, and Pepsico, Purchase, N.Y., both recently announced plans to demonstrate their green credentials in the nation’s capital.

Coca-Cola said its efforts include installing climate-friendly beverage coolers, using hybrid electric delivery trucks and trailers, and establishing a recycling program for the National Mall and Memorial Parks. The House of Representatives will be among the first locations in the country to test the new HFC-free, energy-efficient Coca-Cola coolers. Four of the new beverage coolers will be installed there, but that’s just the beginning. The company plans to deploy up to 1,800 Coca-Cola coolers and vending machines throughout the U.S. and Canada later this year. These include 1,400 HFC-free coolers and vending machines that will be deployed at the venues during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The new climate-friendly Coca-Cola coolers use carbon dioxide as a refrigerant gas and also have HFC-free insulation. Noting that CO2 has 1,400 times less global warming impact than R-134a, the most commonly used HFC refrigerant gas, Coca-Cola said the new coolers will reduce indirect green house gas emissions by more than three tons for every machine over its lifetime. The coolers also include an intelligent energy management system (EMS-55) that cuts energy use by an average of 26 percent.

Pepsico will also use the nation’s capital to introduce climate-friendly vending machines for Pepsi-Cola. These machines also use carbon dioxide as a refrigerant. Under the pilot program, The Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) will place 30 Pepsi-Cola CO2 vending machines in high-consumer traffic areas in the Washington, D.C. area. These machines feature the new Pepsi logo along with a special green refrigerant sticker. The company said the machines use less energy and generate 12 percent less greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) than current vending machines.

PepsiCo said the project is part of the company’s broad commitment to reduce the environmental footprint of the vending and cooling equipment used to sell its drinks, a commitment that includes improving the energy efficiency of its machines; eliminating HFCs from the insulating foam in vending machines, coolers, and fountain equipment; and using natural refrigerants instead of HFCs. Pepsico said that about 95 percent of a vending machine’s GHG emissions result from the energy required to run it.

In addition to the CO2-cooled machines included in this pilot program, PepsiCo is testing thousands of machines around the world that rely on other natural refrigerants — specifically isobutane and propane — that also have a lower climate impact than current HFC refrigerants. Pepsico is working with its supplier Crane Merchandising System’s Dixie Narco Business on the program.

Both Coca-Cola and Pepsico are part of Refrigerants Naturally, a global initiative focused on substituting fluorinated refrigerants with natural refrigerants in point-of-sale cooling equipment.

GE, INTEL FORM ALLIANCE
General Electric, Fairfield, Conn., and Intel Corp., Santa Clara, Calif., have formed an alliance to market and develop home-based health technologies that will help seniors live independently and allow patients with chronic conditions to manage their care from wherever they choose. The companies are investing more than $250 million over the next five years for the research and product development of home-based health technologies. GE will also sell and market the Intel Health Guide, a care management tool designed for healthcare professionals who manage patients with chronic conditions.

RECORD-LOW LUXURY
The outlook for the economy along with expectations for personal income and spending plans among America’s luxury consumers has reached record lows, according to the Spring 2009 Affluent Market Tracking Study #15, conducted by the American Affluence Research Center, Alpharetta, Ga. The study finds that more than two-thirds of luxury consumers have no plans to make major expenditures in the next 12 months.

ENERGY-EFFICIENT CONSUMERS
Homeowners are factoring energy efficiency into purchase decisions regarding consumer electronics in an effort to reduce home energy costs, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Arlington, Va. The study finds that 61 percent of households that underwent a home energy audit during the past two years have replaced appliances or CE devices with more energy efficient models.

CO2 VRV SYSTEM
Daikin Europe N.V., Belgium, has launched a CO2-based, variable-refrigerant-volume (VRV) system. Since CO2 has a low critical point of 31 DegC, the system uses the CO2 in a transcritical refrigeration cycle. To optimize performance, the company equipped its CO2 VRV with a range of new technologies, including its dual-compression swing compressor, developed to provide optimum performance at high discharge pressures and able to handle high pressure differences. The CO2 VRV also incorporates new optimized refrigerant circuit technology that includes the dual-stage inter-cooler circuit and a gas cooler with three-row heat exchanger for maximum heat exchange between the CO2 gas and the ambient air. Daikin expects that CO2 VRV will be welcomed by customers wishing to install HFC-free systems. Given the unit’s attractive COP levels, Daikin is targeting applications where heating demand is stronger than cooling demand.

FREEZER BURN
An article in the Journal of Food Science Education, “How Does the Freezer Burn our Food?,” says that self-defrosting freezers contribute to freezer burn. Self-defrosting freezers contain a heating coil that regularly melts the ice layer of the refrigeration coils, preventing frost accumulation in the freezer compartment. While this removes unwanted frost, it keeps the vapor pressure of the air inside the freezer compartment low, promoting sublimation from the food’s surface.

Pretty purifiers.

AIR PURIFIER SKINS
Alen Corp., Austin, Texas, has introduced six decorative skin options for two of its home air purifiers. The skins are made from vinyl and the company says they can be applied in minutes.

LINEAR COMPRESSOR
LG Electronics (LG), Seoul, Korea, has launched its third generation linear compressor. While conventional reciprocating compressors turn the motor’s rotational movement into the piston’s linear movement to compress refrigerant, in LG’s linear compressors, the motor is directly connected to the piston and moves along a linear track to compress refrigerant, minimizing energy loss during conversion and lowering energy use by up to 30 percent. In addition to using the linear compressor in its own refrigerators, LG said it will also market the compressor to other refrigerator manufacturers.

NATURAL GAS MOWER
Dixie Chopper, Coatsville, Ind., has introduced the Xcaliber Eco-Eagle, a lawn mower that runs on compressed natural gas. The mower is powered by a 990cc Generac engine and has a 66-in. cutting deck.

A.O. SMITH ACQUISITION
A.O. Smith Corp., Milwaukee, Wis., has announced the acquisition of Applied Energy Recovery Systems Inc. (AERS), Norcross, Ga., a manufacturer of commercial and residential heat pump water heaters. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The AERS product line includes the E-Tech line of commercial and industrial water heaters, as well as commercial outdoor and indoor pool heating systems, and residential water heating and swimming pool products.

WHIRLPOOL CLOSES FACILITY
Whirlpool Corp., Benton Harbor, Mich., has announced manufacturing production changes to its China operations, which include the closure of its clothes washer manufacturing facility in Shanghai, China. Moving forward, production of clothes washers will be consolidated into the company’s Hisense-Whirlpool joint venture facility, located in the ChangXing Economic Development Zone, in the ZheJiang Province.

HEAT FOR COOLING
DuCool, Powder Springs, Ga., has introduced dehumidification and cooling systems that it says can substantially improve the energy efficiency of cogeneration systems by using waste heat to provide cooling and dehumidification. The systems combine desiccant dehumidification with evaporative or geothermal cooling to upgrade cogeneration systems to trigeneration systems. The company says this approach eliminates the need for conventional mechanical cooling and reduces the energy required for cooling by up to 90 percent.

Before (L) and after (R) shots illustrating the biodegradability of Telles Mirel bioplastic.

BIOPLASTICS AT NPE
A number of exhibits, conferences, and displays at NPE2009 will feature polymer technologies based on renewable resources such as corn, castor beans, soybeans, potatoes, tapioca, and more. Bioplastic materials will be found at 16 exhibit booths and discussed in conference presentations by 39 different companies, agencies, and consortia. The show will be held June 22-26 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

AIR CLEANER STANDARD
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), Washington, D.C., has published its newest performance standard, AHAM AC-3-2009, Method for Measuring the Performance of Portable Household Electric Room Air Cleaners Following Accelerated Particulate Loading. Used in conjunction with ANSI/AHAM AC-1, this test method provides a means to evaluate and compare the performance of portable household electric air cleaners before and after the air cleaners have been subjected to accelerated particulate loading conditions designed to simulate defined periods of use.

ELECTRIC RIDING MOWER
Ariens Co., Brillion, Wis., has introduced the AMP Rider, an all-electric riding mower that the company says delivers as much drive and cutting power as a conventional gas-powered riding mower. The mower will be distributed across the U.S.

MIDDLEBY ACQUISITION
The Middleby Corp., Elgin, Ill., has announced the acquisition of CookTek LLC, Chicago, Ill., manufacturer of induction cooking and warming systems for the commercial foodservice industry. The purchase price for the acquisition was $9 million, which was financed under Middleby’s senior revolving credit facility. Further payments are due to the seller under an earnout arrangement to the extent certain financial performance targets are achieved.

Automower 260 ACX.

TEXTING ROBOTIC MOWER
Husqvarna, Stockholm, Sweden, has introduced the Automower 260 ACX, a robotic mower for homeowners with large yards, handling areas up to 6,000 sq. meters. The mower can work day or night and in the rain; it sends a text message to the owner’s cell phone in the case of disruption.

AHAM AWARDS
At its annual member meeting, held in April in Washington D.C., the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers honored several industry leaders for their service to the industry and to the association. The industry’s top honor, the Home Appliance Industry Leadership (HAIL) Award was presented to Franz Bosshard, senior vice president of BSH Home Appliances Corp. He chaired AHAM’s Major Appliance Division Board from 2006-2008 and has served as a member of the AHAM Board of Directors since 2004. Bosshard retired last year as President and CEO of BSH, North America.

The Michael C. Thompson Public Policy Award was presented to Sarah Bovim, director, Congressional Relations and International Trade for Whirlpool Corp. This award, created in 2004, recognizes extraordinary effort and accomplishment in the area of public policy affecting the home appliance industry. Bovim has led Whirlpool’s Washington, D.C. office since 2006. She has provided important leadership and advocacy and was instrumental in the enactment of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, which included landmark energy and water saving appliance standards provisions. She also played a significant role in the extension of the manufacturers tax credit for super efficient appliances in 2008 and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

The AHAM Distinguished Service Award recognizes significant contributions by virtue of longevity and quality of service to AHAM and the home appliance industry. This year’s Distinguished Service Award recipients were Rick Habben, safety compliance engineer for Wahl Clipper Corp.; Anthony Hardaway, lead engineer, Fabric Care Technology for Whirlpool Corp., and Steven Polinski, regulatory affairs product development engineer for Miele. All of the Distinguished Service Award winners provided AHAM with leadership and technical expertise while serving on various task forces and committees to revise AHAM performance standards and test methods.

ENERGY STAR REQUIREMENTS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., has announced new Energy Star requirements for commercial refrigerators and freezers. The requirements are effective January 1, 2010.

SUBSIDIZED APPLIANCE SALES
Recent simplified procedures for farmers to get subsidies on the purchase of home appliances have spurred sales of the products throughout China, according to a Chinese Finance Ministry official. Subsidizing home-appliance sales in rural areas is a part of China’s efforts to sustain economic growth amid the international financial crisis. According to the Ministry of Finance, the first quarter of 2009 saw China sell nearly 6 million home appliances in rural areas, with a month-on-month growth rate of more than 70 percent.

APPLIANCE MONITORING
Miele, Princeton, N.J., has introduced RemoteVision, a technology that proactively monitors appliances and reports any user faults or potential service problems to the company’s service center. A fault code will either trigger an automated e-mail (offering a corrective strategy) or analysis by a Miele technician who, if need be, will schedule a service appointment. RemoteVision uses wireless local area network (WLAN) technology and application software, allowing the secured transmission of vital performance data.

INFECTED MEDICAL DEVICES
Computer security technologists from the Internet Storm Center have discovered the Conficker computer worm in more than 300 medical devices, including MRI machines, at dozens of different hospitals. The situation was first noticed by the monitors when an imaging machine reached out over the Internet for instructions. The manufacturer of the devices said that none of them should have been connected to the Internet. Remedying the problem was further complicated by an FDA regulation requiring a 90-day notice before patching the devices.

GASES UP
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that the two most important greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide and methane — registered increases in the atmosphere in 2008, despite a global economic downturn that decreases activities using fossil fuels. The observations were noted in a preliminary analysis for NOAA’s annual greenhouse gas index, which tracks 60 sites around the world.